Train signaling mechanism.



H. & L. R. JARVIS.

TRAIN SIGNALING MECHANISM.

APPLIGATION FILBD SBPT. 10, 1909.

1,030,307. Patented June 25, 1912.

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UNITED sTATEs PATENT oFFioE,

HAROLD JARVIS, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, AND LOUIS RAYMOND JARVIS, OFTORONTO,l ONTARIO, CANADA.

TR-AIN SIGNALING MECHANISM.

T0 all whom t 'may com/'em Be it known that we, HAROLD JARvIs, a citizenof the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the county of Eric andState of New York, and Louis` RAYMOND Jixnvis, a citizen of Canada,residing` at Toronto, in the Province of Ontario and Dominion of Canada,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Train Signaling Mechanism,of which the following is a specificat-ion.

This invention relates to a train signaling mechanism and has the objectto provide efiicient and reliable means for preventing accidents in caseof landslides or avalanches along' the railway.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic top plan viewof the tender and locomotive of a train, the railway track, thestationary main electric conductors arrang'ed lengthwise of the track,the contact Wheels of the train which engage said conductors andelectrical relay mechanism mounted on the train. Fig. 2 is a verticaltransverse section, on an enlarged scale, showing the means foroperating the train controlling mechanisln by means of a landslide oravalanche adjacent to the railway track. Fig. 3 is a Verticallongitudinal section taken in line 3-3, Fig. 2.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughoutthe several views.

A, A represent the two rails or tracks of the main line of the railway.Lengthwise of these several tracks and preferably between the same arearranged two longit'udinal electrical conductors which are suitablyinsulated and which are divided at intervals into blocks, each blockcontaining a pair of conductor sections F, F1 and one of the conductorsections in each block being cross connected by a wire f or otherwisewith the diagonally opposite section of the other conductor in anadjacent block.

That part of the train controlling` mechanism which is mounted on thetrain preferably comprises a contact h const-ructed in the form of awheel which engages one of the main electrical conductors, preferablythe conductor F, and is pivotally supported upon one of the tendertrucks but insulated therefrom so that it is out of electricalconnect-ion with the main railway t-racks which specification of LettersPatent.

Application filed September 10, 1909.

Patented June 25, 1912. Serial No. 517,024.

are engaged by the supporting wheels H of the respective truck. irepresents another contact constructed in the form of a wheel whichengages with the other main electrical conductor F1 and which is alsosupported on one of the tender trucks but not insulated therefrom, sothat the same is practically in electrical connection with the mainrailway tracks through the medium of the supporting wheels H of therespective tender, their axles and the truck frame.

j represents a relay mounted preferably on the locomotive of the trainand having its coils arranged in an electric circuit which contains abattery or electric generator and one end of which terminates at theinsulated contact wheel h while the other end terminates at thesupporting wheels H of the locomotive or other train wheels running onthe track. A pole changer m is arranged in the circuit of the battery71: and the relay l7', and a local signaling circuit is arranged on thelocomotive or other part of the train and Controlled by said relay andembodies a battery n and an electric bell or gong 0. This traincontrolling mechanism is so organized that when the train is in danger,the main circuit including the coils of the relay 7' and the mainbattery Ze will be closed and the relay will in turn close the localcircuit, so as to operate the signal bell 0 and warn the engineer. Whena train thus equipped is arranged on a track more than one block fromadjacent trains, the circuit of the signal device of said firstmentioned train will remain open and therefore indicate to the engineerof this train that he is safe. VVhen two trains going in the samedirection are arranged in adja-cent blocks, the circuit of the trainahead will remain open and no signal will be given to the engineer ofthe same so that he will continue in his course, but the circuit of thefollowing train will be closed and the engineer will be warned so thathe may either slow down his train or stop to avoid a rear end collisionwith the train ahead. A. switch 01 is preferably placed in each local.circuit containing the gong 0 and battery n, so that ringing of the gongmay be stopped until the train aheadv is off the block ahead. If theengineer of the following train after being informed of the presence ofa train proceed slowly and enter the next following block ahead, heshould first reverse the current of main signal Circuit by means of thepole changer which for the time would stop his bell or gong fromringing, inasmuch as the main battery of the following train would beopposed to that of the train ahead. Then, however, the following trainenters the block ahead and its insulated contact wheel h engages thesame con-. ductor as that engaged by the msulated y signal devices ofboth of these trains to operate simultaneously and warn both engineers.

For the purpose of automatically signaling trains in the event of alandslide or an avalanche of snow covering the track, the followingmeans are providedz-R represents a frame which is normally arrangedupright adjacent to that side of the track on which the latter is indanger of land or Snow slides and which is provided with an electricalcontact facing of metal, preferably in the form of upright metal strips,wires or lattice work r, giving the whole the appearance of a grid. Atits lower end this grid is pivoted on stakes, posts or other supports 8secured in the ground, so that the grid or circuit closer can swingvertically. The grid is held in an upright position by means of one ormore stakes or pins t pivoted horizontally at one end to the upper partof the grid while its opposite end is driven or secured in the bank Tadjacent` to the road bed. TNhen the land or snow of the bank slidesover the railway track it carries the grid with it, as shown by dottedlines in Fg. 2, whereby the metal in the next block ahead should decideto l face of the grid produces an electrical connection between one orboth of the main conductors F, F1 and one or both of the tracks A, 1 andthereby closes the main circuit of the signal devices of trainsapproaching the obstruction on the track in either direction and warnsthe engineers of the danger.

Te claim as our inventiont- A train signaling mechanism comprising arailroad track upon which the train runs, an electric conductor arrangedlengthwise of said track, an electric translating device arranged on thetrain and electrically connected with said track and conductor7 andmeans for electrically connecting said conductor and track adapted to beoperated by a landslide or avalanche and comprising a grid normallyarranged upright adjacent to the side of the track and provided withvertical contact members which electrically connect said conductor andtrack upon moving said grid into a horizontal position over the trackand conductor, posts supported on the ground at the side of the trackand pivotally supporting-the grid at its lower end and retaining stakespivotally connected with the upper part of the grid and entering thebank of earth at the side of the road bed. i

Witness our hands this 6th and 23rd day of August, 1909.

HAROLD J ARVIS. LOUIS RAYMOND JARVIS. Vitnesses to the signature ofHarold Jarvls:

THEO. L. PoPP, WALTER H. PoPP. VVitnesses to the signature of LouisRaymond Jarvis:

FEED. C. JARvIs, WILFRED COOK.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five eents each, by adressingthe Gommissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0.

